Signaling on electric circuits



(NoMDd 'L) I I I 4 H 11.11. 8; L. ULRICH.

' SIGNALING 0N ELEUTRIG CIRCUITS. No. 255,814. I Patented Apr. 4.1882. s

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

DAVID HALL RICE AND LEPINE C. RICE, OF LOWELL, MASS, ASSIGNORS TO THE CURRIER TELEPHONE BELL COMPANY, OF MASSACHUSETTS.

SIGNALING ON ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 255,814, dated April 4, 188?.

Application filed November 14, 1881. (No model.) M

sirable to use magnetic or electric generators of the ordinary forms of construction. When a magnetic generator of ordinary construction is connected with a line having call-bells with vibrating strikers like those described in said patent, and putinto operatiomit is found that the undulatory current produced is liable to operate some of the strikers, because its undulations may sometimes follow one another at regular intervals for a sufficient period to accelerate the movement of the vibrating strikers, which strike the bell until the bell will be acted upon.

The objects of our invention are to provide a mechanism which will so divide the undulatory current produced by a magneto-machine as to prevent the undulations from influencing the vibrating strikers of bells like those described in Patent No. 246,374, and to provide sucha mechanism as will, while so subdividing the electric or magnetic current, actuate the ordinary drop-buttou annunciator used at the central office. We accomplish these ob- 5 jects by the mechanism shown in the accompanyin g illustration, in which the figure shows an electric circuit provided with our improvement.

A A are call-bell mechanisms like those de scribed in Patent No. 246,374, placed at different stations 1 2 on line B.

C C aremagnetos, one placed at each station, to enable the person at such station to si nal the central ottice.

D is the drop-button mechanism at the central ofiice, provided with a spring-vibrating armature, E;

F is a vibrator placed at one of the out-star tions to make and break the current created by the magneto.

G is a caller similar to those described in said patent to make and break the batterycircuit.

H is the battery.

7c is a switch by which the out-line is 'connected with the battery or the drop-button, as i may be desired.

m m are switches, by means of which the magneto at any particular station can be put into the line-circuit.

The operation of our device is thus described: When aperson at any station wishes to signal the central office he moves his switch m at his station so as to bring his magneto into circuit, when, by turning the crank of his magneto, a series of electrical impulses are communicated to the line, which, att'ecting the eleotro-magnet d at the central office, causes it to attract the armature E, when the dropbutton D will fall, while by the same attraction the armature will be moved away from the contact-point (P, to which the line B connects, and the circuit will therefore be broken, when, the electro-magnet (1 ceasing to longer attract the armature, it will be moved back by its spring until the contact-point (P is brought into contact with the armature or the spring portion thereof, when a second attraction of the armature will take place and another break will be'made in the circuit. This action will be repeated so Ion-gas the magneto is in action at the station signaling the office. The length and strength of the spring and weight of the armature E are difterentfrom those ofany of the spring bell-strikers at any station on the line, so that no pulsations or undulations can be made to pass over the line which will vibrate the spring-striker at any station.

The vibrator, as well as being placed at the central office, may be placed at the station, as 0 shownat station 2, so that when the magneto of the station is brought into the circuit the vibrator will be also. If the vibrator be placed at the station, as last described, the usual welhknown drop-button mechanism nowin use can be used, it being only necessary to provide at'some point on the circuit when the magneto is in use a vibrator which will divide the currentinto separate impulses of such frequency as will not substantially correspond ICC to the time of vibration of any of the springstrikers of the call-bells upon the line. When the operator sees the drop button fall he switches his telephone into connection. and

answers the person calling him. Whenever the operator desires to call any station on the line he changes the switch 70, so as to bring the battery and caller into the line-circuit, and calls the particular station he desires in the manner described in said Patent No. 246,374.

When a vibrating circuit-breaker is placed at the station, as shown at station 2, it need not be made to vibrate in a different period of time from the striker of the bell at that station, as it is irmnaterialwhether a person calling the central ofiice rings his own bell or not, provided he does not ring the call-bells at any other stations.

If so desired, the vibrating armature E at the central office may be made to strike a bell and sound an alarm byplacing such bell within the range of its largest vibration.

What we claim as new and of our invention 1s 1. The combination of a circuit having one or more call-bells provided with vibrating strikers having different periods of vibration with a vibrating circuit-breaker which automatically makes and breaks the electric current passing over the circuit in an interval of time substantially different from that of any vibrating striker upon the line.

2. The combination of an electric or magnetic circuit having a magnetic generator placed at one station thereon and. a magnet and vibrating striker placed at another station thereon with an automatic vibrator which makes and breaks the current with each vibration and vibrates in a period of time different from that of the striker, substantially as described.

DAVID HALL RICE. LEPINE 0. RICE.

Witnesses:

WM. B. ORGUlT, N. P. OCKINGTON. 

